Read full description of the books:

A real eye-opener on what it's like to work a small cattle ranch in South Dakota. It is not a novel, it's a memoir of a single year. I can hardly believe people willingly devote their lives to such a crushing amount of work. She's an evocative and skilled writer, and takes us vividly along through her daily life. I was fascinated, but couldn't help thinking that the native americans did it smarter. Instead of trying to confine, fence in, and brand the animals they lived off of, they just moved across the land with them. Seems much more sensible, but I definitely left this book with a respect for ranching life.

Read information about the author

Linda M. Hasselstrom is an award-winning poet and writer of the High Plains whose work is rooted in the arid landscape of southwestern South Dakota. She writes, ranches, and conducts writing retreats on the South Dakota ranch homesteaded by her grandfather, a Swedish cobbler, in 1899.

Her website, www.windbreakhouse.com, provides details about her writing retreats, online consulting and her published poetry and nonfiction.